Bailey's missing wardrobe costs TVNZ $9000

TVNZ paid just over $9000 to make up for the Judy Bailey wardrobe sale blooper last month, in replacing her on-air wardrobe for the past six weeks as well as compensating her for the accidental sale of her own clothes.

The bill to replace Bailey's personal clothes came to $3607. They were accidentally sold in an in-house sale of presenters' clothes that were past their use-by date, figures released under the Official Information Act yesterday revealed.

TVNZ has also spent $5438 on replenishing Bailey's on-air wardrobe of designer clothes since the sale, despite the fact she had just six weeks left in her job at the time.

The sale horrified Bailey and other presenters as it was shortly after Bailey learned her contract would not be renewed.

A total of $6690 was raised from the sale of presenters' clothes, of which $500 was donated to the TVNZ staff social club and the rest credited to the news and current affairs' department clothing account.

TVNZ company secretary Noel Vautier said the reason for the sale was that "the clothes were worn out or considered not fit for appearance on screen".

Mr Vautier said the clothes in the sale were not identified by presenter and Bailey's clothes were not the only ones sold.

Bailey will read her last bulletin after 18 years as One News anchor on Friday, December 23. Both Bailey and TVNZ have said they would look at other opportunities there might be for her, and Bailey has said she is interested in doing more work with disadvantaged children.

TVNZ would not reveal how much it had spent on presenters' wardrobes in total this year.